


So long ago

by orphan_account



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Cardverse Hetalia, Human Names Used, Magic, Past Memories, This is my first fic ok, cursing, i like my chapter titles fancy, tags will be changed frequently i think, updates may be really spaced
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-03
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-09-14 10:46:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9178264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: On one faithful day, little prince of spades Alfred finds a new friend, a village boy named Arthur. But when he lets something slip, it leaves cracks in their hearts. Years later, when Arthur finds a job notice for a woodcutter's apprentice, everything goes from smooth to... finding out he's supposed to be Alfred's queen.





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> IT'S THE STORY.

Little prince Alfred was a young one (about 5) when he finally managed to get out of the castle away from the watchful eye of the Jack Yao, whose cries for Alfred and where are you rang throughout the palace. Alfred smiled to himself as he scampered out through the servant's exit, whilst the boots of royal guards thundered above his head, desperately searching for the future ruler. He walked out onto a radiant day, the cobblestones beneath his feet seemingly sparkling as the sun hit each one. He had only heard tales from his mother about the kingdom, and he was desperate to see for himself what it was actually like, and, of course, it was an excuse to miss some boring lesson taught by Yao. He was wearing some plain clothes, similar to the average villager, but if you looked closer, you could see the material was not average in the slightest. It was the only thing Alfred would wear.

Happily skipping through the bustling market, Alfred took in the sights, smells and sounds that came from the market, like beautiful soaps of all the colours of the rainbow and more, all decoratively arranged to appeal to the rich and poor alike (all the soap in the palace was blue, but it smelled very nice) and in different sizes and shapes. There was a merchant yelling out to customers about the worth of his wares, and the scent of homemade stew wafted around one stall with a bunch of workers happily eating and chatting about how the wives were. Small children goggled at the cattle and herds of sheep awaiting auction, and so did he, because the only form of cow he'd ever seen were the fine cuts his parents ate, whilst cries of prices of increasing amounts rang not far away as a goat was awaiting its new owner. And what caught Alfred's attention the most was a large array of stuffed toys on one stall, all piled on top of each other and to him, it was something he would dream about. He heard a slight noise behind the stall, and saw a woman leading her young son, just 4 years older than him, to teach him how arrange the stuffed toys.

"Mother, can I have one?" the young boy asked his mother, who smiled warmly and said back "Arthur, when you can make one of your own, you may keep it, but these ones are special, alright?" Although he looked slightly dejected, he nodded, smiled with a toothy grin and picked up a box filled with tiny toy rabbits to give to his mother.

Alfred noticed the boy was a little short than the other boys his age, but apart from that, and his massive eyebrows, he looked normal. His eyes were big and emerald green, and his hands seemed kind of feminine, but they had a few cuts to them, most likely accidents with the needle, but he seemed cool... Like a new friend! He watched the mother caress his shaggy sandy-blonde hair and tell him he could play in the fields for a while. Almost doing a little dance, he ran off to the fields, with Alfred haring after him, almost tripping Arthur's mother, who stared with disbelief at the young one chasing after Arthur. A thought ran through her head- _is that the king's son chasing after him?_ Shaking her head, she then attended to a man and his daughter, the girl pointing at a stuffed pink horse.

* * *

Arthur lay down in the grass, the fronds tickling his neck slightly whilst the clouds, so fluffy and white, drifted slowly across the cerulean blue sky. He enjoyed the peace and quiet as much as the hubbub of the market, which to him was his daily life. He felt a fairy touch his cheek, and he opened his eyes to see a flashing red light. Quickly, he spun his head around to see a young boy stand over him, with a sort of shocked look on his face, as if he hadn't expected him to wake up. Arthur saw his hair, almost flaxen gold with this one odd strand sticking up and kind of bouncing, and his eyes, a beautiful blue. "Who are you?" he asked, shaking. Was this a bully?

"I'm... I'm Alfred! Alfred is my name!" the boy said proudly, sticking out his hand expecting a shake. He was certainly brave, Arthur had to give him that, and he seemed nice, like the one who would grow up still with the heart of a child. "What's yours?"

"I'm Arthur. It's nice to meet you Alfred!" Arthur replied, and shook his hand, though Alfred shook his quite vigorously. For someone that young, he was very strong. "Why hang out with someone like me? Wouldn't you have more fun in the market?" Arthur inquired. He looked like the type who'd have more fun running off with the other kids who always got around to playing with each other using pretty rocks found by their houses. But Alfred looked like someone had stabbed him.

"No! I don't think they're very interesting. But you! You're cool! And so are you eyebr-" piped Alfred, before stopping and remembering it was rude to point out other people's imperfections. But Arthur gave a small chuckle, and wiggled his eyebrows in a funny way, causing Alfred to burst into peals of laughter. Arthur smiled too, this boy was also very prone to overreacting slightly as well, it seemed. After regaining himself, Alfred looked at him and asked him a question that made his heart go all funny for a moment-

" **Would you like to be friends?** "

"Well... Yeah! That'd be cool!" Arthur said. "But you gotta promise me one thing!! Please, don't lie to me. OK?" Arthur pleaded to Alfred. Alfred looked at him, and smiled and promised him, and swore that if he broke it, he'd never be able to look at him straight in the eye ever again. After hugging Alfred, Arthur heard his mother calling him, and called out to Alfred "You know where to find me, OK?!" and waved back to him from behind his mother. Alfred smiled a big smile, before turning around and walking back to the palace (he knew his way back; he just had to keep walking up to the palace) before he heard a sharp toned voice call out

"ALFRED! THERE YOU ARE!" and associated the voice with Yao. Sighing, he walked to where the voice was coming from, he saw a flustered Yao dashing towards him "I was so worried! Are you hurt?! Have you been robbed?" Yao continued in this manner before he realized Alfred was giving him a look that said are you fucking kidding me nothing happened before he let go. "Anyway, your parents have said that as long as you don't get hurt, you can go out for a while after your lessons. But they said you have to behave and come back before dinner. Is that alright with you?" he enquired, before Alfred started squealing and throwing his own little party. He could see Arthur everyday now! But... even though he promised Arthur, what if he knew he was the prince? He would think it was a cruel joke on him! So he wouldn't tell Arthur who he really was. It was for the better.

Or so he thought.

* * *

For a while, Arthur wasn't really expecting Al to visit; but after a week of his visits Arthur was always excited to see the little bumbling boy race towards him. Arthur showed him all the cool toys his mother made, and told him about his older siblings, Angus, Awstin and Aisling, who had all found jobs in Clubs, Hearts and Diamonds respectively, and of his ability to use magic along with other things that enraptured Alfred. In turn, Alfred told him about the stories of his start in the other side of town (this was a downright lie) and of his brother, Matthew (TRUTH, DUH) who looked a lot like him, supposedly, but he had wavier, longer hair, a different crazy hair strand and pretty violet eyes. They eventually grew to be almost inseparable together, but nowadays Arthur's mother's stall had a big boom in business, so Arthur had more free time.

After about 7 months, Arthur was walking past the palace when he saw the lavish backyard, and a mannequin standing in the midst of green grass, along with the Jack of Spades, Wang Yao, berating a boy who snapped back at him, wielding a wooden sword. To Arthur, the voice was very familiar. Looking closer at the boy, he saw he was wearing clothes customary for the monarchy of Spades to wear, but he brushed that aside as he looked up at his head, a beautiful flaxen gold with a... strange strand...

It was Alfred, and he wasn't really someone like Arthur.

_He was the future King of Spades. He had lied to Arthur. He had broken their promise since the very start!_

Tears welling up in his eyes, Arthur ran back home, and cried into his mother's dress, and even though his mother tried to calm him down, he wouldn't stop. His hands were clenched into tight fists, his teeth were grinding and he was shaking so much. Then he wiped his tears, and stalked out. _He found out... Poor Alfred... he'll never get over what'll happen next..._ though Arthur's mother. The last time someone had lied to him, the man had committed suicide, leaving her all alone.

Alfred bounded to the meeting spot in the field, seeing Arthur's silhouette made him smile even wider, but when Arthur turned around he felt very frightened. His eyes were strangely calm, his mouth in a frown and the atmosphere was very dark.

"YOU LIED TO ME! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, YOU PATHETIC IDIOT! I DON'T GET WHAT YOU WANT FROM ME? TO MAKE AN ASS OF ME? HUH?!" Arthur screamed, whilst little Alfred had realized it from the very first line. "Arthur, but-!"

"I DON'T CARE. YOU BROKE THE PROMISE WE MADE FROM DAY ONE, AND LOOK AT ME. PEOPLE WILL THINK I WAS YOUR GOOD DEED OR SOMETHING. WELL, GUESS WHAT? LIARS CAN BURN IN HELL! FRIENDS? MY ASS! GET OUT OF MY SIGHT! Oh wait, let me rephrase, _get out of my sight, YOUR HIGHNESS_ " he snarled, and turned away and walked back home. It then started raining, and the good thing was that it masked both faces of the tears that spilled down their faces. Afterwards, Alfred never came to visit, and Arthur started taking over the stall once a week.


	2. Noticeboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now we're actually getting into it. Gilbert makes him one-shot *maybe* and we get into the bikes

It had been plenty of years since then. Nowadays Arthur was running the stall, whilst hoping his mother stayed alive one more day, as she was constantly bedridden with aching pains and her memory was going. She told him to make certain toys, and though sometimes she mumbled deliriously, her judgement was always correct, and when the new toys came upon the stall, there was always a small crowd there to purchase it. One time a rich man came and bought a single polar bear, and gave him a generous tip, and he had to thank that man, who had really pale blonde hair, slight stubble and violet eyes.

His magic had also improved greatly, as he frequented the library poring over books in his free time. He learned water-based spells (Spade's colour was blue, and their magic was strong with water), normal spells like transformation and invisibility and ice spells (like water spells but a little harder). If there was a celebration, Arthur was normally called upon to entertain guests. Even people who had seen him before came to look at him make water swords and whips, turn himself into a blazing ball of green fire or freeze someone's sweet drink into a block of ice which they then ate, always eliciting cheers. He enjoyed his life in the village. But...

At around noon of the 1st of July, he was riding his bicycle (there was a small rally made by the kids who frequented his stall, and had somehow manipulated the parents into getting him a bike, which he used for daily rides and the occasional delivery if one had reserved a toy) when he heard a clamour coming from the noticeboard. Pedalling over he heard mutters rising-

"The wood-cutter's looking for another apprentice again!"

"A new apprentice? Why does he keep posting them?"

"No-one has ever found his lodge they say!"

"Maybe the guy's some old hobo who has some weird habits..."

"But what about the fact all the ads are in high quality materials!"

"So if he's rich, then maybe he's buying people!"

"But they don't come home with fucking accidents!"

"Remember the last guy? He came back covered in maple syrup!!"

"The guy before had a polar bear scratch on his ass!"

"WILL YOU ALL SHUT UP?!"

Everyone's head turned to someone screaming in the crowd. It turned out to be... Gilbert, the Senior Joker. Jokers were powerful beings that frequented the kingdoms, ready to aid the royals and so-and-such that appealed to them, and sometimes just hanging around their cities maybe causing mischief (The amount of times Peter had stolen a toy from Arthur) but today he wasn't wielding a small flock of tiny yellow birds or anything. He looked dead-set on finding someone.

"I have had a special request from the wood-cutter. Instead of one of you being chosen, he has chosen someone himself, by the means of the higher powers." The crowd grew silently excited. Higher powers meant supernatural shit went down. "Where is Arthur Kirkland?"

All the eyes fell onto Arthur, who had a look of pure shock on his face. Him? As far as anyone was concerned, all he could do well was make toys and have control over water. How in the name of Dealer was he supposed to chop wood to sustain the _entire kingdom?_ Gilbert put two and two together and gave Arthur a look in the eye. "Do you know who Matthew Williams is?" he asked sternly.

Arthur looked nervous. Remembering back then (which still saddened him a little) he remembered _him_ talking about Matthew, who had not taken the last names Jones like his mother, but Williams from his dad. Supposedly he had a position in the Spades monarchy, started with A... Ace! They had magical powers too, but the only person who was more powerful was the Queen.

"Uhh... I've heard that name before... Sh-should I?" Arthur said, a slight wobble in his voice. Gilbert sighed, then took his hands onto his, and Arthur felt him running through his memories by the light-headedness he felt. When it stopped, Gilbert's red eyes were widened slightly. "I see... You were the one... Ah, good! Matthew would like to meet you. Most likely congratulate you, then... get all sappy. Eh, he chose well. WELL! You have to go!" Gilbert snapped his fingers and all of his stuff was in a navy-blue suitcase. "Peter will keep eye over your mother, and he'll get somebody to take over, but... you cannot refuse an opportunity like this, no? Kesesese~!" With that he disappeared in black poof of smoke, but then he noticed... A little bird, flapping his wings wildly.

"Well... goodbye."

Everyone cried a little, wondering if he would ever come back, and he heard children screaming as their mothers restrained them. He then went back home quickly, with the bird perched on his shoulder, to find his mother smiling as he entered the room.

"Arthur... I'm so proud..."

"Mother, I'll come back! I promise! I don't want.. to be alone..." Arthur whispered softly.

"Arthur, I'll be right. Peter'll be here, yes? Now go! Opportunity awaits! Get yer little ass over there!" she chuckled before she fell asleep. Smiling to himself, he went over to his suitcase, which had magically attached itself to his bike, and the little bird made a beckoning motion with its teensy wing, which made Arthur start to pedal. When he went to the main gates, almost the whole town was there, wishing him luck. After he left, the bird guided him through forest not even he had seen before, then after a while arriving at a shrub. After that, the bird poofed like Gilbert had, and disappeared. That bush had to mean something... he touched the leaves, which seemed to shine, and he felt... a slight pull?! He then got back on his bike, and rammed the bush, which then grew to accommodate his size, and ended up on a lavish garden.

* * *

 

The grass was cut to a perfect height, with it also being a beautiful lush green. Hedges were cut into Spade shapes and polar bears (Arthur was a little confused) and arranged in perfect line, and there were red-leafed maple trees... everywhere. There was also a multitude of small ponds, and a large man-made river wove everywhere, even up to the property. This person seemed to be from the northern-most part of Spades territory, or at least enjoyed it there. Whilst he marveled at the sights, he felt tugging at his pant sleeves, and looked down to find... a polar bear... asking who he was? Kumajirou??!! Matthew's polar bear, or so he remembered. Then it sunk in.

_THE ACE OF SPADES WAS THE WOODCUTTER?!_

He felt really uneasy. Why would he choose him? If anything.. wouldn't he...

Hate him for hurting Alfred?

Then he heard a voice scream from far away (he barely heard it)-

"KUMAJIRAAAA!! WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"SIR! FRANCIS IS COMING AND-!"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THAT!! KUMAJINSHI IS MISSING!!"

_Shit._

"Go back to your master now!!' Arthur whisper-shouted, but then Kumajirou jumped onto his shoulder. "Dammit! Sod off!" But the little bear stood firm. He was desperately trying to pull him off when he heard a voice-

"Oh? Who are you, _beau garcon_?" Turning around, it was that man who bought the polar bear, but he was decked out in yellow and wore extravagant jewels. "I see the little bear of Mathieu has taken a liking to you, _mon amie_ ~" he trilled, taking Arthur's free hand and was about to peck it when Arthur went and almost smacked his mouth when he looked up at his face. "Oh, I know you! The toy-maker boy! Wow, _quelle coincidence_! I didn't introduce myself! I am Francis Bonnefoy, _roi des Diamonds!_ Or King, since Diamondish may not be in your vocabulary. And who, pray tell, _qui es-tu_ _?_ "

"What?!! King of D-d-d-DIAMONDS?!" Arthur spluttered. When he went to the stall, he didn't see his clothes, dammit!! Francis went to kiss his cheek, but he snapped and slapped his cheek. "Don't touch me, frog! And, for your information, I am Arthur Kirkland, and I'm supposedly Matthew's apprentice. Though him being Alfred's brother, he may as well get Kumajirou to disembowel me, for what I did a few years back... WAIT! W-wh-what's it to you?!"

"Huh? Why would you be an enemy of Mathieu? Wait... No way.. YOU'RE THAT ARTHUR?" Arthur gulped. "Ooh~! He's gonna be all smothery to you!! But listen to me; Matthew knows his brother well, and he's pretty much the one who stopped him from crying all those years back. Apparently Alfred confided in Matthew about you, and he's always wanted to meet you! And I think... he'd be your best shot to make amends." Arthur looked kind of happy at that point, until he heard a voice scream-

"WE FOUND HIM!"

"SOMEONE'S STOLEN HIM! AND HE'S HARASSING FRANCIS!"

"HUH?!" Arthur spat. Francis went to the soldier, and tried to get his attention, but there was a group of 10 soldiers coming to get Arthur, with a blue-clad figure running towards him. Francis went to warn him, but he didn't need to tell him; Arthur was already sprinting, with Kumajirou clasping even tigher.

* * *

_ BLACKFUCK, HOW IN THE NAME OF DEALER AM I GOING TO NOT BE KILLED HERE? _

Arthur was somewhat fit, but these guards were slowly closing the gap, and he had no hope of outrunning them (his bike was still at that bush, and Kumajirou was hanging on even tighter at this point), when he remembered the rivers. He then quickly whispered some words, and when he went to run in the river's direction, when he looked like he was going to fall in, the water froze to ice under his feet, and he ran on the river, but the ice left as quickly as it came, and the river was way more direct than the garden. The guards stopped, with shocked expressions and a newfound respect for a criminal. Francis came up to the head, and quickly explained the situation, which then lead to excited murmurs all around. However, Matthew Williams wasn't in earshot. He was casting a giant wave to knock out the thief.

"RIGHT!!" Kumajirou piped, as he neared the lodge (Well, less a lodge more a manor, people assumed a lot in his town), which Arthur did, which he realized he was lucky because he'd barely missed a giant wave, which he had summoned once before (after that people called him Poseidon for a week), and was now trying to make it to a little... house? "LEFT!" came another command, but Arthur felt no impending danger, but did so, and came to... a massive pile of logs, a table for 3 and... an axe! He had to get that axe! At least he could defend himself with it. Quickly reciting a spell that made him have more energy (briefly), his hand reached out for the axe...

Until a whip of water grabbed his leg.

Arthur then quickly fell, and dug his hand in the ground, when he felt a heavy sensation on his legs, and then heard a snap, and felt his leg freed. A roar of alarming volume came from Kumajirou, so shocking that even Arthur stopped. "DAMMIT KUMAJIROU! HE DOESN'T WANT TO GIVE YOU FISH, HE'S GONNA TAKE YOU!" Hearing his opportunity arise, he sprinted for the axe again, but Kumajirou sped after him, which caused Matthew to summon another whip. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! HEY- LEGGO-! FRANCIS!!" Matthew spluttered as Francis restrained the beast, while Arthur finally, _finally,_ clasped the axe's handle, and heard a growl come from Matthew this time "Kumashirai, what the hell? Who's this guy?!"

"Axe-King, but... who are you?" Kumajirou simply stated. _Was that some sort of crack at me you cunt?_  Arthur though angrily, while Francis ran over and asked how he was. He gave a small mock sigh of relief, before he felt a tremendous force grab his shirt collar, and looked into burning violet.

Matthew, reportedly, was quiet, polite and underspoken, and he looked exactly like _he_ had said _,_ but older, but right now he looked like a menacing wolverine at this point. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't snap your neck right now." Arthur was shaking, his pupils dilated and he couldn't speak. But Francis spoke for him.

"Well, Mathieu! For your new apprentice he did surprisingly well under those circumstances, _non?_ And also~!" he regaled, but he stopped after also, because for whatever reason, he didn't want to speak more. Matthew then dropped Arthur, and changed his attitude.

"Shit, you're the newbie?! Oh fuck! I'm so sorry for treating you so harshly, I heard the guard and from his point of view, it looked like... well, I'm just really overprotective, eh? So, Arthur, was it? I'm really excited to have you here! You were the first one to make it here, so, yeah... you're pretty cool! But... yeah, the axe part... what's with the king?" Arthur took a deep breath, before he took a deep breath (agaiiin) and said-

"I'm the one who Alfred talked about." He watched Matthew's face light up. "That's cool! Even though... that, you seemed so cool! And you are! You're experienced with magic, your eyebrows (insert apology), your hair! Like... Woah!!" He beckoned Arthur to the table, along with Francis, and even though he could switch moods quickly, he could be the one to help him get over Al.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ack!! Sorry for a slow update!! I was playing Wadanohara, and it was soo good! Play it, seriously, it's reaallly good (and free)  
> ALSO THERE IS NO FrUK REFERENCING OK THAT WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT HAD TO DO WITH THE STORY.  
> Illusions will come, be patient  
> this is m cuz of language ok but I may add some~


	3. Informant

After that whole fiasco it turned out Matthew Williams wasn't half bad. He was quiet but nice enough. During the weird afternoon tea done after he had chased Arthur (It turned out to be his birthday that day, but last night Alfred invited him to the castle for a massive party. Arthur was aware something was going on there, but, like all the other townspeople, he was clueless to why), he and Francis told him about how Alfred had grown up during the years, and all the times he'd cried (Matthew hadn't been to visit in at least 2 months but he was 90% sure Alfred thought of that day again and cried while eating ice cream at least once). Matthew had escorted Arthur to his room after Francis had left (through the same bush like where the hell was his place? A different plane of existence?) and it was bigger than his house. It was all blue, with a four-poster bed on the northern wall, a walk-in closet big enough to be able to hide at least 10 bodies, a study area that would make the town librarian spasm, enough books to last a lifetime, a small dresser with a candle, an ensuite that looked less an ensuite and more like a mosaic and along with all that, a little stuffed polar bear on the bed. Matthew, upon seeing it there, blushed tomato red and ran over to grab it. Seeing Arthur's slightly shocked face made him worry "It's just a present from someone... Guess I lost it somewhere... turned out to be here... hehehe..." Matthew seemed to be rather lovey... which caused Arthur to start snickering.

"H-hey! What's so funny?!" Matthew whisper shouted, and then Arthur gave him a smirk commonly worn by younger children that everyone knew the meaning of, causing Matthew to squeak a bit. "I-it's not what you think!! I-I-I-It was given to me from someone important business-wise!" Arthur then stopped for a moment... oh.

_He likes him back..._

"I don't think your love is unrequited."

Matthew then stopped thinking normally for a second. "What do you mean by that?"

"Nothing important... maybe... hehehe," Arthur laughed, impersonating Matthew, which caused Matthew to smack him in the back of the head.

* * *

The next morning, Arthur was woken up by a servant quite early, but he had no idea why. Quickly shoving on a white shirt, blue slacks and some hard leather boots, he followed the servant out to the little building he had run past the day before. Inside wasn't small though, but wide and somewhat long. At the end of the room were 2 workbenches, one slightly worn, the other pristine. This must be where Matthew cut the wood for the kingdom of Spades. There were 2 piles of logs on the other side of the room, one with 10 layers, logs already quartered, the other 20, with the trunks still whole. But beside them, as smaller pile of 5 layers sat snugly in a little corner. A slide was put around the room with regular intervals for easy log transportation.

"Just cut them in half and half again the other way... If there's a 2 on either end, it means just cut them in half, and... put them in a separate pile! If.. there's anything wrong, just ask me." the servant stuttered. She trembled a bit.

Arthur was concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Well... I'd be scared if I made you angry... because you can.. uhh.." the servant dropped out of sentence.

"Magic? If I was angry, the worst thing that would happen would that I need a gallon of tea. It's fine!" Arthur assured the trembling girl. he looked up at him, smiling slightly. "May I ask, what's your name?"

"We have first names, but we just refer to each other by our surnames. Call me Nova Scotia." she grinned. "Well, good luck, and your pile is pretty obvious, yeah? I think Mattie's sleeping in again. Gotta make sure Kumajirou doesn't run wild!" she whispered as she skipped off. Sighing, he took a log from the 20th layer and watched it slide to the pristine workbench, then watched it being sliced into 4 by an axe with his own hands. After about 5, he worked out a simple rhythm, and found he had a little more strength in there. Maybe from all the heavy lifting he did whilst buying supplies. He swung down on multiple logs, and even though he was new and weak, he worked fast, and when the sun rose, was already a quarter of the way there.

*lil timeskippity- do~ from 5 till 9*

4 out of the 10 servants were standing by Matthew's bed, failing to rouse him.

"Master Matthew... wake up..." Ontario whispered. For being the head butler, he was very quiet.

"Ugh, last night I found Kumajirou in the trash. Do you know what was in there?" Labrador groaned, his accent thicker than tar.

"Last night's fish guts?" Newfoundland (Lab's female twin) said in a deadpan monotone.

"No! It wa- actually yeah, it was. How'dya know?"

"Cuz I was there with you."

"Guys, where's Nova Scotia? We've been trying for hours! Where are those pancakes?" Alberta mumbled.

"Sooooorrrrrry!!! Had ta help the newbie, and Kumajirou was wanderin' round the lakes..." huffed Nova Scotia, with a sopping wet polar bear on her disheveled blue uniform, carrying a small leaning tower of pancakes topped with a  ~~bucketload of~~  little maple syrup and a little butter pat, with a large mug of coffee almost spilling its contents.

"'Bo ~~o~~ ut time..." Alberta snapped, earning a glare from Nova Scotia.

"You try running round the garden 5 times and then we'll talk!" she growled.

"MMnghhh..."

5 heads turned around to see Matthew blink open his eyes. "O-oh!! Good morning!! Breakfast is still piping hot!" Nova Scotia smiled, earning a glare from Alberta. She would punch him later.

Matthew, rather sloppily, but violently, grabbed the coffee and downed its contents faster than The King of Hearts, Ludwig, could down a stein full of Heart's strongest beer. Suddenly, his indigo eyes brightened to violet. "Morning..." he mumbled sleepily. "Is there much to do today?"

"Last I checked, we got a 20 and a 5," Ontario mused. Matthew groaned slightly, a 20 meant more than 3 hours. "Gimme a *yawn* minute. Just put the pancakes on the table, and I'll *yawn* be in there."

After eating the pancakes, and drying off Kumajirou, Matthew strode off to the workhouse, and heard a _thwack!_ Kind of in a daze, he opened the door, and saw Arthur crack a log in half again. _Oh shit, he's here too. Forgot, crap, has he eaten?!_  Still stressing, he looked to the sides of the room, but found only a small pile of 5 logs in the corner. He saw the apprentice wipe his brow, satisfied, and looked back to see a slightly dazed and surprised Matthew. "Oh! Good morning Matthew! I just finished my bit, so I left yours there. Anything else you want done?" Arthur asked.

"Uhmm, Arthur, was there another pile of logs in here?" Matthew wobbled out.

"Hmm... Ah! Yes! It was.... around 20 layers? I don't know. Kinda tiring though. Is that a normal workload?" Arthur quipped. Looking at how wide Matthew's eyes were, he thought no. "Got up 'round 5 this morning. My pile was pretty big, but it got me somewhat used to it, though I shouldn't be saying that..."

"Yeah... you go eat, I'll deal with the other pile. Then there's nothing else I don't think." Matthew smiled. Arthur then put up his axe, then walked out, rather elegantly, to the other building. Matthew then picked up his axe, and saw all the logs had 2's at the end. _Think Nova Scotia gave the wrong hint..._  

*le time skip by aboot... 3-4 weeks~*

After a while, days fell into a pattern, Arthur getting woken up early, Matthew being there at the same moment around 5/6ths of the time, eating varied breakfasts, sweating and getting covered in tanbark every morning, sometimes into the afternoon, occasional visits from suppliers, mailmen throwing letters in the bush, Kumajirou latching onto a random shoulder, rainy days, sunny days, old stories in the big lounge room, it was all very peaceful.

 It was at dinner that a loud banging came from the door of the large dining room. Arthur and Matthew walked over to find a different servant, panting, at the door. "Yo! Name's * _huff*_ Noah Delaware! I was * _huff*_ summoned to your place by Yao. I think Arthur Kirkland works here?"

It was rather unusual for something to be headed Arthur's way, because he mostly got letters from children in scrawled writing, asking for him to come visit. He took the letter, which was finely sealed, and carefully lifted the cover to find a letter written in elegant script. He read over it, and by the end, he looked up at the servant, holding a grim look in his face. "I still have a small rabbit. I'm gonna treasure it."

"Arthur? What's it say?" Matthew asked, worried.

"My mother... she died... They're holding her funeral tomorrow. I have to go."

Matthew embraced Arthur, and Delaware took the letter from his hands as tears fell down his face, his back feeling strangely itchy...

* * *

"But Yaoooooo~ I'm still tired!!" Alfred groaned into a pillow. The workload had been tremendous that day, and even though Yao did the Queen's work, Alfred was still ready to fall asleep.

"Aiya! That isn't much concern! What is concerning is that the queen's mark is close to developing! We need to summon Matthew!" Jack Wang Yao had recently learned of the queen's mark starting to develop (Jacks could sense it), and since Alfred was still barely summoning a dew drop (he had similar power to the queen, why couldn't he do anything Yao had mumbled to himself several times), Matthew was the best shot they had at finding the queen.

"But why didn't you ask him to stay when you last saw him!?" Alfred harrumphed.

"Because! He has work to do! You should go help-!" Suddenly, a servant burst into the room. "Wang! Wang! You are needed...Ms. Elizabeth Kirkland has died."

Yao stopped dead, whilst Alfred looked like he was about to burst into laughter. "Why does she matter?!" Alfred huffed.

"She has done a great service to Spades. So I must attend her funeral. Thank you, Washington." Yao explained. Alfred nodded. _Another revered person,_ Alfred thought. _UGH._

"Send a letter to him, him, her, him, her..." Yao went on and on. (Alfred was dozing off) And when he finished with her friends, he focused on her children

"Angus, Aisling, Awstin ... And Arthur Kirkland. I'll get Delaware to send it to him." Yao finished. Nodding in understanding, Washington headed out, barking orders at various servants, whilst Yao searched for his prayer books.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long. I KINDA FORGOT ONO anyway yey we doin shit now.  
> also expect better frequency from now on ^^  
> I'd love some feedback, such a noob ain't I?  
> 


	4. Revelation

Arthur didn't sleep much that night, and Nova Scotia, along with Delaware, who decided to stay the night, kept a close eye on him, attempting to get him to eat, but with varying degrees of success (he only drank tea at erratic times), whilst Matthew was trying to find old funeral clothes of his to make sure Arthur could mourn properly, taking into account that he was considerably taller than him (he would've been his height when he was... 16?) He didn't track his height, when Yao asked him to stand beside his brother in the doorframe, he watched his brother jump like the Clubs Ace, Toris, whenever Ivan called his name, except not in fear, whilst he drew a line and recorded their heights.

Arthur felt like dying himself. He wasn't there to see his mother before she passed away, and he felt like a ton of bricks had been thrown onto him. He wasn't there to see his mother before her world slipped away, he hadn't kept in touch, he- just this long list of things he could've done to try to make sure his mother didn't die in pain, physical or mental, and since the reality was he couldn't get her back, he decided to vent now and he would most likely be fine later at the funeral.

When he awoke, Arthur had some slightly noticeable bags under his eyes, and while he tried his best to wearily find some black shirt to wear (for him funeral clothes were too dear to just buy), he ended up face first in his suitcase, only waking up after 10 minutes when Nova Scotia decided it would be funny to poke him with the blunt end of an axe in between the other cheeks, resulting in Arthur grabbing it and threatening to slit her throat. The scream she produced wasn't quite as loud as he thought, it wasn't really a scream more of an awkward chirp. So, it was a great way for him to start the morning, apologizing for being such a bad riser. Then he realized it was 3 am and he found a very surprised Delaware holding a pillow and a blanket, along with a quick glance behind him, seeing Labrador and Nunavut trying to run from 2 people and Newfoundland running after someone, in all directions, all the unknown with shaggy hair and crude tongues quietly (not really) spouting insults in heavy accents that Arthur knew well-

"TELL ME YER REASON 'FORE I SHOVE YER ARSE CHEEKS INTA BOILING WATER!"

"SINCE WHEN DID A GIRL LIKE YA GET DEFENSIVE OVER YER LIL' BABBY?!"

"I MAY BE A LASS BUT I'LL KICK YER ARSE INTO OBLIVION!" a woman's voice growled near the door, making Delaware hide in a corner.

"Uhmm... hELPPPPPPP!" Labrador whispered, when he got a decent lead from Aisling in front of his room, considering Arthur's eyes.

"OI WHO'DYA THINK YER TALKIN TA- oh lord!" Aisling roared before she saw her little brother. "You've grown!"

Arthur had a few seconds before his older sister had taken to hugging him tightly, so it was only when he started wheezing about 'I might die/break my back', she composed herself. "The fact you've landed yerself here is quite amazing! I mean, I'm an artist who does paintings fer the best in Diamonds, but you working for royalty is just... wowzers. Mum'd be proud, and since we're family, we're gonna go to her funeral. Her spirit'd haunt us 'less we saw her off." Arthur laughed a little. That was true.

After a couple of minutes of silence, they heard muffled footsteps down the hall, and saw Newfoundland pulling Awstin's collar across the hall, menacingly whispering "Touch those again and you're DEAD."

"It was an accident you sack of slugs. 'Sides, you don't really have anything to show on that chest-" Awstin grumbled before the servant jacked him to her height (she was largely taller than her twin), and she was just about to sock him in the neck, but she caught the eyes of the 2 siblings, 1 just about to laugh her head off, the other giving a deadly glare, before she dropped her victim like a hot potato and stammered "Well... we met in the hallway and... he made a crack at us... eh. Now I'm sorry." she explained, before smiling slightly, and running off, leaving Aisling in snickers and Arthur glaring down at his older brother, known for getting himself in bad situations faster than The Jack of Hearts could run away from the King. "What the bloody hell didya do this time?"

"Told her she was too pretty to not work here, and her brother was a short little dwarf. Then she got real mad and she angered the other lass, because she swore that he's better than her, which resulted in 'er getting confused a bit and was about to sock Angus-"

"She got a bloody good swing too. Almost hit the poor bastard."

"Thanks, Ashie. Whatever the case, afta that, it was chaotic, and that led to... the wild goose chasing that gave us a little wake-up call."

"OK, why're you here so bloody early is a damn mystery to me, y'know? Hearts is barely a stone's throw from the closest Spades boundary. Aisling and Angus live further away, so don't spout dumb excuses outta your sorry mouth."

"The damn coaches that came outta country leave so damn early. Have ya tried gettin' on a coach that always needs 2 hours’ notice, for delays? THEY BLOODY NEVER GET ANY DARN DELAYS." Awstin spat. "And they always go too fast. When we picked up Aisling, Angus was about to spew his breakfast." That cause Aisling to recall it, causing a slight giggle to escape her lips. "Whatever the case, we got sent a letter by the Jack, from this guy with the most idiotic last name, Illinois, what's wrong witcha boy, you sick? Anyway, he came in a fancy carriage, and came to drive us all to Clubs to get to this coach at 12 in the morning. Do ya have any idea how tired I was? Angus was waitin' with this girl named Nevada, and she and Illinois drove with us. Think they're sleeping in the coach right now."

"I got mine from this tall bloke who called 'imself Oregon, had an accent thicker than snow in Clubs, and he accompanied me to the Clubs/Diamonds border, with 2 disgruntled arseholes riding in on a coach." Aisling mused, earning a smack on her behind from Awstin. "Oi, no touching! Didn't that other girl teach ya?"

"Well calling me an arse, your own brother, is a tad bit insulting."

"Well to be honest you've all been asses your entire lives so ya cannae argue with that." Aisling deadpanned.

"Eep!" squeaked Nunavut, shuffling by the door, was wielding an empty bottle of maple syrup and swinging wildly at someone, who didn't look very pleased.

"IS THERE A REASON WHY YA SHOULDN'T BE BANJAXED RIGHT NOW?" Angus sneered, filled with anger and a small desire for vengeance. Nunavut had then thrown the bottle, which Angus deftly caught and threw into the room, landing squarely on Aisling's head. At that Aisling grabbed the bottle back and threw it back. Hard.

Noticing that maple bottles weren't boomerangs, Angus looked into the room, before he barely missed a swing at his face "WHAT WAS THAT FOR YOU BASTARD?" Aisling roared. Angus, though the eldest sibling, was deathly afraid of Aisling's wrath (so were Awstin and Arthur), and he stood to attention like a soldier, whilst Nunavut fainted on the floor. "Fer bein' me older brother, you still don't know how to treat a woman."

"She swung a punch at me, how is that ladylike?" Angus grumbled. "So where's the little laddie we're all her ta see? Playin' chicken?"

"Well, he's right- huh?" Awstin grunted, before he realized his little brother was, in fact, not standing beside him.

* * *

Throughout the whole ordeal, Arthur's back was awfully cold, and he had taken to a bathroom heaven knows where, and had an odd suspicion that something was up. Gingerly, he took of his nightshirt, leaving his lily-white torso, small but well defined, out. Turning to have his back face the mirror, he turned his head around, and couldn't hold back a gasp-

Across his back, around the upper back until where the arms might begin-shoulder region, was an exquisite marking, with an intricate Spade in the center, surrounded by graceful fish, then causing massive waves that splashed gracefully around what looked like ice. Also upon the spade lay a crown.

Arthur blinked, rubbed his eyes, slapped his face, splashed cold water, pinched himself, anything. But, it was no use. There was the mark of the Queen of Spades on his back, in deep midnight blue and with a slight sheen.

The mark was there permanently, and even though normally he would’ve been happy for himself, all he could see was a sign of foreboding. Yes, he could have some confidence, but… this was too much. Coming back after so many years and they were supposed to be ruling a kingdom together? Great. He was going to make the kingdom fall into ruin. His face darkened, and even though it was so early, Arthur felt wide awake. Putting back his nightshirt, someone opened the door and caused Arthur to jump.

"Arthur? Sorry I scared you, I just thought you may want these..." Matthew smiled, holding a strange bundle of black, which Arthur gingerly took, and ater a few seconds he realised he had been given funeral clothes to wear. But Matthew was curious about something, "But why are you here? This is a guest ensuite?"

"My siblings arrived some time earlier, and I had to get away, haha..." Arthur yawned. "I could ask you the same thing."

"Well... For whatever reason, Yao's going to the funeral, so he thought it might be good to have Al to stay the night. He doesn't want him running amok around the castle while he's away. This is where he normally sleeps, so I gotta get it ready. I know its kinda early, but I was about to give those to you. And if I went back to sleep, I'd wake up to my room in ruins, eh." Matthew sighed.

Arthur silently cursed himself, though it wasn't necessary, for entering here. "If I was Yao, I wouldn't leave him alone either," Arthur smiled.

"I'll leave you to change. Leave whenever you need, and I know you'll know your way," Matthew smiled back, before closing the door. Arthur turned back to the mirror, and saw his eyes, noticing that they had a slight tinge of fear, you could kind of sense it. Looking at the pile pf black in his hands, he saw intricate lace and depictions of spades everywhere, and he couldn't deny that the royals were the richest of all. Swiftly taking everything off, he put on the lacy black shirt with a small bow on the front, the black pants and billowing coat (though there was normally a vest or something, the coat worked too), along with a black headpiece. He struggled to put on the boots, which almost reached his knees, and finally adjusted his clothes and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked slightly different to what he imagined, but it worked. Then the door banged open behind him.

"HEY! WE HAFTA GO AND YER SOMEWHERE ELSE?" Angus snapped.

"When you'd get concerned about me dearest brother?" Arthur deadpanned back. "Whatever. Are we going now?"

"Yeah. It starts early, laddie. We gotta go now if we wanna get ready- wait. Where'dya get those?" Awstin hitched. "Those clothes are mighty fine."

"Matthew gave them to me."

Not wanting to talk much longer, the 4 walked out, and through the garden, which looked rather beautiful with the sun barely peeking out of the horizon, to the shrub (Awstin and Angus were still rather annoyed by it), and sat in the carriage, the air inside dark but warm as the siblings were off to pay their respects to the strongest person they ever knew.

And maybe, just maybe, Arthur could finally get his head out of the past.

And maybe, just maybe, being the new queen wouldn't be too bad, really, if a royal's going to be there, and they knew Alfred and they had experience, it should be easy to tell them the situation, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay chapter 4~  
> I saw how many hits I had... over 200? And 23 kudos. 23. Not much to others, but for me I felt so happy, so ty!  
> I feel like when I finish this making a little bonus story on the side involving the actual countries. And maybe a new story with an AU where the countries get IDSs (-_-) ^^.  
> yes i said i'd have better frequency but i'm really sorry, school an' life & writers blovk ugyaaaah.  
> BUT I'LL TRY TO KEEP DOING THIS FOR YOU OWO  
> -lol guess who fucked up the publication date  
> 


	5. Irresolution

As the carriage rattled down the path, the sun peeked out just a little more, bathing the journey in a warm, pleasant glow that would make any poet write a sonnet, or two, just about it and its splendour.

However, all it made Aisling, Angus, Arthur, Angus and Delaware do was create an even worse mood than before (said happy mood from before disappeared 5 minutes after they left, since the mood wore off and no-one spoke because they were just so tired and when Angus yawned everyone else groaned and then everyone shut up because nobody wanted to hear anything. They all tried to get sleep, but the sun didn't help matters in the slightest. What made it worse was that Illinois, Nevada and Oregon were rested, and they were up front, talking about the sights and everything else. To the gang, it just sounded like something they could've gone without hearing.

"Aren't the Queen's checks happening today?" Oregon called back.

"Gwuh... Why should I know??" Delaware mumbled.

"Right. Thought you might like to know the Queen's mark has been developed, but, y'know," Oregon mumbled, but not before the entire carriage and the 2 beside Oregon perked up. Though they were tired, they were surprised. "How'd you get wind?" Aisling snapped.

"W-o-w! Look at the town!" Nevada chirped. After that, Arthur stuck his head out the window-hole thing, and realised it had changed.

When he had left, the water fountains that dotted the town had hints of gold, and had changed from smooth stone to exquisite marble. The paved roads were smooth and shiny, as if it had also changed material (it didn't though), and the roofs were changed to a better form of what they were before. Everything looked better, more regal and clean, just more... Was this the effect the queen had? Would've been great a month ago. Or not. Depended on how you looked at it. The entire town, or really, citadel now, looked like something of legend.

"Didn't the town look like this at some point?" Arthur drearily called.

"If I remember, there was a prophecy..." Nevada trilled. "That when the Eternal reign came, when all 4 marks had developed, the city would be restored to its former glory, for all 4 kingdoms. I'd love to be part of the royal family now!"

"Why?" Awstin snorted.

"Because... as it is has been told from ages past by the Hands of Fate, all royals are granted immortality and have virtually perfect health. They cannot be killed by regular means, unless their ties to the magic of the land are severed, but if they aren't attacked, they will never age from when the final mark forms. And things like plague could never affect them, as they say the 196th reign of all the kingdoms is the one with the most potential, so the royals must be forever watching over the land," Illinois recited from memory.

"Did they teach this in school?" Angus huffed.

"No, it’s just that Illinois here's a big nerd and Nevada wants to sit in a tree with him~" Delaware smirked. Nevada and Illinois started blushing, and Awstin, along with Oregon, were just plain confused (the rest were snickering). But that made Arthur wonder about what Spades had really went through, and also, what would living forever be like? As gravelly path turned to smooth stone, the sun wasn't stinging his eyelids now, and everyone was making small talk, talking about how good it was to be home and their adventures in the other countries. At some point they started talking about the royals.

"Don't you think the Queen of Clubs is better suited to the Jack than the King? Angus asked.

"I guess. Supposedly they've all been friends since childhood," Aisling somewhat affirmed. "But I think that The King of Clubs has a grudge against the King of Spades?"

"Yeah. In the paper from the last Meeting of Suits apparently they got into a fistfight. Took the Jack and Ace to get them to stop," Awstin snickered. "Have you all heard that story about that boy and the King of Spades?"

"Who hasn't," Arthur remarked. Arthur had tensed up a little at that, but not that it was noticeable enough so people got worried. "But no-one wants to talk about who did it. Hell, no-one knows who did it."

"Hmm... Hey! If we find out who did it, we should totally make them apologise!" Delaware suggested. "It'd be cool to- wait never mind. No-one but Alfred knows who it is. And the other may not speak up,"

 "Great deduction!" Oregon called from up the front. Delaware then started telling Oregon about how when they got off, he'd murder him, but the carriage came to a stop. "I'd love to take you up on that offer, but we have a funeral to take these four to."

As everyone got themselves out of the carriage, they took in the sights, and the sights from before were even more grand here.

The fountains were indeed changed to marble, a stark white with small figurines carved into the side, mostly Spade related, and on each side, there was a face, with the faces of the royals (Arthur saw Matthew's face and decided not to look further, though supposedly one face was blank), along with the golden indentations. The houses before, made of stone and wood, were upgraded, with the walls seamless and the roofs sturdy and shiny, along with better doors and fences (if the house had any). The streets were clean and the stone was smooth, and the palace, which loomed over the city, looked even grander than it did before (even before it looked like something out of a fairy tale), and most of the city wasn't even awake yet. After lots of woah-ing, they heard a small squeal.

"Arthur? It's Arthur!"

Before he could react, a small black figure barely missed slamming into him, with sea blue eyes and a big, toothy grin.

"WHAT WAS TH- YOU-! Oh, it's you Peter. Good to see you again. Not," Arthur groaned.

"How rude! I took some of my precious time to greet you, and this is how you react? Stupid jerk-face jerk!' the junior joker huffed in mock disappointment. Peter looked like Arthur's younger brother, but he wasn't. Jokers were beings of magic. "Anyway! It's not my fault! No! I... couldn't do anything... She just... died."

"Laddie, it doesn't matter. She died naturally, and that's all that happened. We can't bring back the dead, but the least we can do is see her off, right?" Angus soothed. Everyone else murmured agreement, effectively raising Peter's mood and inflating his ego (which was already the size of the moon), causing him to incite a bout about he wasn't  _that_ sad, but that wasn't something to waste energy on. After some walking, they reached the funeral parlor, a large, square building, with the pale wooden walls adorned in advertisements about coffins, lists of who was going today and dead plants. It made a very gloomy exterior. 

"Have anyone of you ever been in here?" Peter quipped.

"None of the siblings have," Delaware guessed.

"True, this is, for all of us, our first time," Angus nodded. When Arthur was a young boy, whenever he walked past, he'd always grip his siblings, who gripped back. "It still looks the same after the upgrade. Funny"

"That's because everything around it looks like they're ready to join the party in a coffin as well, I guess," Awstin mumbled. "Hey, whozzat woman coming towards us?"

Multiple heads turned towards the figure, who was balancing prayer books and some sort of instrument, attempting to sprint towards the funeral house. She(?) wore a single... dress-like thing, but it was black with royal blue accents and a small black hat, along with dark hair tied up in a low ponytail, brown eyes looking rather bedraggled, a small cat toy (for whatever reason) on her(...) front and a large sword was threatening to fall out of its sheath. "Aiya! First we have to drag his sleeping butt out of the castle, and I don't know how he sleeps like the dead, and now this. Sometimes this is too much, aru. I should've bought everything last night, could've got that lazy-butt to help!"  _he_ ranted.

"Wait... That's the Jack of Spades? What's he doing here?" Arthur gasped lightly.

"Wait so that's a  _man_?!" Awstin spluttered.

"Wait, you still can't tell the difference between lass and lad?" Angus sneered. But even his face had shock reflected on it, because... Royals never left the palace, unless for royal affairs, and matters of importance. This was new. Was there some new protocol or something?

* * *

Meanwhile, Matthew had just finished a stack of pancakes he made himself (at 5 am, and since he was already awake he enlisted the help of his servants to help him tidy up the rest of the place), and was already in his demure mood when he spotted 3 men, 2 carrying one.  _Of course, he's still asleep. Thank god there's no work today. It'd be hard enough to do some cutting with him here,_ Matthew thought, relieved, that his younger brother Alfred was sleeping, hell knows how he could sleep through a carriage ride in the woods.

"Good morning," Matthew smiled, whilst directing the 2 servants, Washington and California, to Alfred's guest room, where, in his silk sleepingclothes (blue of course), looked like a sleeping baby. The two servants left, and Matthew was just about to leave the room when he heard a small mumble from his brother's mouth.

"Hmm... hey... who're you?"

Alfred wasn't awake, but Matthew was aware of dreams, so he, having the strange need to see how it ended, sat by the bed.

"No... wait... You're what? I don't...?"

OK, this was getting interesting.

"Wha? Him...? I want to see... him again..."

Who? Who would he want to meet?

"No... he hasn't seen me... not since then..."

Maybe, Arthur?

"His mother...? She was nice... and she's dead.... DEAD?!" Alfred's voice rose, but not above mumble level. "When...? Today...? Maybe... But who are you...? Wait... no. NONONONONONOOOO-!" Then with that, Alfred cried out and sat up, shaking like a leaf. "No, no... I'm sorry, nonononono..."

"Bro, bro! You OK?" Matthew soothed. Alfred turned and saw Matthew's face, worried for him. "Bad dream, huh? Wanna tell me?"

"Yeah... I saw Arthur... but then he grew up, to look older! But before that he was just a shadow, but then after that... He started crying, cuz his mother died, he said, and then he held my hand... Then he turned into a playing card" Alfred cried. "The Queen of Spades! It... What does it mean?"

"Well... when the Queen's mark develops, sometimes the King has a dream... Something he needs to find. And maybe if you find Arthur... You might find the Queen along the way, yeah?" Matthew smiled. Both of them knew about the King and Ace's needs, so Alfred nodded in response. "Let's get you fed, then we can start walking, and maybe we'll find him."

Satisifed with that, Alfred perked up and sauntered out of the room (Matthew then pointed out he was still wearing his pyjamas, so he redid his leaving scene but in his Kingly clothing), and ate the stack of pancakes Matthew had made faster than ever. "Ow do you maac desh sho gud?" Alfred garbled between bites, and Matthew groaned. He could be polite, demure, the definition of a King, but his eating habits just.... like his personality; childish, but lovable. Grabbing his brother's hand, with a little bit of pancake on his cheek, he ran out of the building, out of the hedge to the path, and, after giving feeling back to Matthew's hand, the two royals started walking into the city.

"Hey bro, you got an apprentice recently, right?" Alfred asked his brother. "What's he like?"

"Well..."  _Shit._ "You wouldn't believe it if anyone else told you... But... He went this morning to his mother's funeral, along with his 3 older siblings." Matthew sighed. Nobody in Spades knew he had siblings.

Alfred was shitting himself (internally). _When the guy who you share a dark past with is your apprentice you should tell your brother about this..._  Alfred thought. _Well, yeah, he couldn't but... We could... settle everything tonight!_   _I totally just got an awesome plan!_ "I see... I'd like to meet him, so I'm going to invite him to stay the night at mine!" he chirped. Matthew laughed a bit and gave a nod.  __Alfred smiled back, and walking some more, he started to think about what he was going to say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WHEN OKA-CHAN FINALLY GETS HER SHIT TOGETHER AND UPDATES  
> I hope you're still readin' this and I'll try to actually not take a millennium to update. TYSM! And I have so many ideas now, so expect stuff.  
> And I have so many ideas for Al and Artie's meeting this is gonna be fun.


	6. Prelude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lol when was the last one of these? Chapter 2?]]  
> How could one forget the meeting?  
> Then there's the other side, where the funeral takes place.  
> But the fun hasn't even begun

The two brothers had been walking a small while, and they were rather enjoying the sunshine passing through the woods. They talked about the little things, like what Kumajiree was doing and how Yao was being annoying as per usual. Alfred was still thinking about his plan that he had formulated 5 minutes ago, and started running through the risks, while Matthew was busy trying to remember which way was which (he could navigate, but it had been a while since he last went to the city). 

"Hey. Mattie?" Alfred bugged his brother. There was a topic he had wanted to discuss with someone he could trust, namely Mattie, because it had been tugging at the back of his head for a while.

"Yeah?" Matthew replied.

"You know how I had my 21st a few weeks ago?"

"Yeah."

"Well... I have to know... Will we really stop ageing when the Queen comes around?" Alfred looked at his brother imploringly.

Matthew nodded slowly.

"Because... what if I outlive Arthur? It'd kill me if I didn't tell him why..." Alfred mumbled. Matthew felt kind of bad. He had really taken it to heart.

"Then we can't do much about that. And the Queen would probably not agree to prolong his life. I don't know," Matthew sighed. "Y'know, we know on instinct who the Queen is if we see them, right? So we could see who she is and try and convince her to do something about your situation! And also, the Queen and King have a special link, but we don't what that is exactly, but I guess it could help us?" At this point, Matthew was trying to make his brother see the bright side, though normally when they debated subjects, he was the Debbie Downer (much to his brother's chagrin).

Alfred was rather quiet.  _We could tell? It'd be nice to tell who the Queen was just by wanting..._

**_Awstin, that's not appropriate right now, you idiot!_ **

That wasn't one of Al's thoughts.  _That voice...! It sounds familiar... from somewhere...._

 _What if this is that "link"?_ Tuning in, he heard more thoughts-

**_This is why I shouldn't come back here, sodding wankers... I hear...?_ **

Quickly snapping back to reality, he almost walked straight into a tree, whilst Matthew was snickering to the side. "Hey! I just heard something and it got me thinking! It's not funny! I could've got hurt Mattie!" Alfred was kind of offended. What if scarred his face?

"And something lead you to almost walking into a tree? Wow bro," Matthew teased. Alfred smacked his back, and looking up at the sun, Alfred remembered something. Something that concerned other kingdoms. Something he would experience for the first time. Along with other first timers.

Who probably listened to their teachings.

"Oh crap! The Meeting of the Deck's tonight!" Alfred spluttered. "We gotta go Matt!" Quickly, the brothers sprinted down the path as fast as their legs could carry them towards the city, thankful their official wear was at the castle and that they didn't forget what would make their image known in front of all 3 other kingdoms (yes, Alfred attended certain meetings as his father's proxy, but not one where he did everything! And he was the host!) And unlike the Meeting of Suits, when only 2 met each other for a small reason, this one had all royals from all the 3 other kingdoms come over. The meeting was for major political reasons, and these weren't common, as these dealt with major trade deals, peace treaties and favour of kingdoms. And Spades may have good relations, but they had some things to get straight with Clubs before anything else got to order.

So really, the two boys couldn't just miss this. Really.

* * *

Watching the Jack slow down his pace (carefully), Arthur walked over. "You want some help?" he asked.

"Yes!  _Xièxiè nǐ, péngyǒu_ ," Yao smiled. Yao had grown up in the South of Spades, and he had grown up learning the language Riman-Dan, and, thankfully, Arthur could understand it (He found it an interesting language). " _Méiguānxì_ ," he replied, and, summoning his siblings, they all went inside the funeral parlor, all still rather confused.

The interior of where the dead were bid farewell differed greatly from the exterior. The panelled walls were made of ebony, giving an air of elegance, along with lycoris flowers around the entire inside, all bred to be a dark blue rather than the dark red (Arthur thought it took away the original meaning of the flower, but they did look rather beautiful). The main part was with multiple rows of midnight blue chairs in front of a coffin, which contained his mother's body, who had, due to the traditions of Spades, was most likely dressed in pale blue and had been embalmed when parts of her skin had turned slightly (really slightly) blue, to represent the nation in which they grew up. After the whole ceremony, in which the host (Yao in this case) would lead the person's closest family to carry the coffin to the front, and after that everyone would hear a recollection of what the person did in their life. People, then voiced a short speech, if they had prepared one, about how they felt about the dead person, their coffin would then be burned and the ashes blown over the river. It was a sad ceremony, and if you cried, no-one would judge. in fact, it was what you had to do, with the whole water affinity thing.  When the funeral was all over, generally a party was thrown, with everyone ditching their black for blue of all shades. It was supposed to celebrate the dead's achievements in life, the more they did the bigger the party. His mother? Her party would be wild! Hopefully. People wore their best to the party, and there was always a big dance, which everyone knew regardless if they had been to a funeral or not. 

"Say, Yao... If I may call you that?" Arthur started.

" _Dāngrán_. It's nice to hear that. What do you want to know, aru?" Yao questioned.

Tentatively, Arthur let it slip, "Why are you here? Because with all the funerals I've heard about, royals don't normally make an appearance.  _Nǐ bùbì shuō wèishéme_!" For whatever reason whenever he talked to someone who knew Riman-Dan, he tended to slip it into his sentences.

Yao looked rather surprised. " Don't be ashamed! Your mother has done a great service to Spades, she was known all over, you know," pausing to rifle through his books for a certain one, "And, since the King's not officially King yet, I will preside over the funeral today. Also, your Riman-Dan is  _hěn hǎo!_ "

" _Bùshì zhēn de_. I just like to read," Arthur shrugged. "So, the Queen's mark developed today?"

Though the remark in itself seemed innocent, Arthur was implying his response. Yao's face fell a little "You know I know, right? It's you," His voice had dropped to a whisper.

"I'll come with after the funeral party," Arthur whispered back. Everyone knew royals knew instinctively when another royal was around, and Arthur, not in a million eras, was going to kid himself, that Yao wouldn't notice. He wasn't going to deny anything. "But let me mourn her first,  _wǒ qiú qiú nǐ._ "

"I won't tell anyone either, but you're going to have to face him someday, aru," the Jack sighed.

"I've had over a decade, I'm not going to back down." Making his case, Arthur saw Yao smile at him "And... maybe we'll be happy together?"

"Maybe," Yao confided back. "I think you will be."

"The party's gonna be great though." Arthur chuckled, diverting the subject. Yao nodded in agreement, with a look in his eyes, one of amusement. "I think we should invite everyone else? And see who can have the most fun before turning in?"

"Bring it Xiǎo nǚwáng," Yao challenged, playfully shoving Arthur's arm.

"Hey, lovers! You should tell us what secrets you're letting each other on!" Awstin smirked, the others not amused.

"IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" Arthur and Yao burst out, faces slightly red. Knowing not to challenge them, Awstin put his hands up in defence, backing away, whilst readjusting his funerary coat.  _Awstin, that's not appropriate right now, you idiot!_ Arthur fumed to himself, not hearing a small voice. A moment later, he heard it, but it was in his head, and as far as he was concerned telepathy wasn't real-

**_What if this is that "link"?_ **

_This is why I shouldn't come back here, sodding wankers... I hear...?_ But before he could hear more, there was a small silence from the other, and then there was no other voice. 

_What was that? Is this just a Queen thing? Who was that? It sounded familiar..._

_... I'll be sure to ask Yao at some point._

* * *

 

A while after... whatever that was, only a few guests turned up; friends of their mother, and after quiet, fleeting 'how are you"s and "it's been a while, hasn't it?"s, the funeral started.

"Today we are here to grieve for the loss of Mrs Elizabeth Kirkland..." 

Yao went through the whole speech that started the funeral, but Arthur's head was still swimming. That voice was still nagging at him, and while flicking through his memories, the voice didn't really match anybody he knew.... Except one. But now wasn't the time.

"Could the immediate family please carry the coffin up to the front?" Yao called.

Standing up, the Kirkland siblings carried their mother (Angus in front, Awstin and Aisling to the sides and Arthur at the back) up to the front, laying her down on an ebony table. Silently, they gave terse nods and opened it.

Their mother lay in front of them, her skin showing pale blue specks everywhere. Her garments were a beautiful sky-blue gown that covered her from her shoulders to her feet, and it was lined with lace and precious gems. The four had seen this dress before, it was a family heirloom, and though it could've made them rich, their mother kept it, for reasons unknown until now, which was to wear it at her funeral. In her hair were forget-me-nots, weaved in intricately like a crown, and on her feet, she wore working boots, brown and tarnished, as if defying the tradition in only that. But she looked like she was smiling when she passed away, and after the minute of silence, they backed away.

"Elizabeth Britannia Kirkland was born as a Britannia and spent her whole life in the very house she lived in, close to the Fields of Rolling Green, and from past recollections she was known to be a passionate, kind and adventurous girl. Growing up in the bustling city, she was popular among children younger than her by varying margins, due to her entertaining them by playing games with them and running around in the fields, pretending with their fantasies, and looking after them if a parent wished to have fun that night. In her teenage years, she earned a meagre wage by babysitting, and gained a passion for children. She also developed a passion for sewing, and made elegant handkerchiefs, to sell to richer merchants at first. But as time went on, she decided; instead of making useless things, just squares of fabric that would only ever be used once, she would sew toys, of all shapes and sizes so that the children she loved so would have a gift to bring them joy even if she wasn't there."

"When she first opened her stall, filled with fluffy toys, people flocked in droves, buying them so fast she was closed by noon due to becoming out of stock. And she tirelessly stayed up every night, sewing. For over 20 years, she kept up that practice, whilst also marrying a special man: William Kirkland."

"When they were married, the King and Queen of that era attended their wedding. In fact, they married in the same hall just after they did. And after a few years of no new toys being made, it was apparent that Elizabeth had children now, all with her same eyebrows, and all with their father's forest-emerald eyes. Naming them Angus, Aisling, Awstin and Arthur, they grew up under her wing, but only a few years after they married, it was apparent that William was part of a certain gang: The White Knives, the notorious murderer gang. When he committed suicide after a month of being in the gang, for reasons unknown to us, she became, if she could be, a recluse. Her youngest son kept her company, and, her being the most passionate woman anyone knew, had opened up shop once more, selling more than ever."

"And, at the end of her life, she became bedridden, and when she died... her last words were... *sniffle*...  _My children... Take care of them, wouldn't you?_ " Yao finished with a tear in his eye. Everyone had a silent tear (or tears) running down their face. "Does anyone have a speech to share?"

"Yes."

Arthur stood up, his eyes shining but his expression happy "When I went through troubles, she was always there, to hug me, to hold my hand when we went somewhere far away, and to sing me a lullaby when I went to sleep. She was the strongest woman, no, person I'd ever met. And when Dad died, really, she was upset, but she lifted herself back up and didn't mope. She threw her feelings into her work, and, when she did fall, she always told me 'They're counting on us!' Even if she was too weak to say that, you could see the spark in her eye. And when I went for my job, she told me to go, and seize the opportunity. My only wish is that she enjoys Heaven, because her life was one everyone else wishes they had," his eyes were now threatening to spill a tear, but he sat down, and even his siblings gave him looks of admiration.

"If that is all, we shall now go to the river, aru."

And when they did, there was a small pyre.

And, after everyone touched the coffin, the four siblings lit the pyre, and watched their mother turn to dust, and watched her fly over the river, to another place. And everyone had smiles on their faces, and more tears.

Elizabeth Britannia Kirkland was truly gone, and now, they had to move on. She'd want that, because that how she lived; not letting the past drag you down.

And that made Arthur more inspired to smooth over his own past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> MY GOD THAT WAS A VERY FAST UPDATE  
> I'm kinda lazy sometimes, so updates may come slowly or in a day. And this one was kinda depressing to write.  
> Because it was sad.  
> AND ALSO very long, longest chapter I've written, but I loved this chapter!. But please, thank you all so much for reading, keep waiting for oka-chan to get her shit together and PLEASE kudos and review, it helps a lot and lets me know you're liking this!And, for all my Australian mates, have a gr8 Good Friday.  
> Translations-  
> (Riman-Dan's just me being stupid and rearranging the letters for Mandarin)  
> Xièxiè nǐ, péngyǒu // Thank you, friend  
> Méiguānxì // It's fine  
> Dāngrán // Certainly  
> Nǐ bùbì shuō wèishéme! // You don't have to say why!   
> hěn hǎo // Very good  
> wǒ qiú qiú nǐ // I beg you  
> Xiǎo nǚwáng // Little queen  
> *half of these are from google translate, i do know a little mandarin tho


	7. Felicitous

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Preparations are underway.

The silence that washed over the funeral attendees was rather calming, as they acknowledged Elisabeth and her achievements in her life.

“PARTY PARTY PARTY!!” came a childish chant as Peter materialised out of nowhere, holding a bunch of black balloons, and also scaring the shit out of the other people in the process. “We need to start setting up NOW! The whole town’s gonna be there! I know this because I’m a majestic magical bei-!”

“Yes Peter, that’s great,” Arthur interrupted with a groan as Peter’s face turned from something childish and infuriatingly positive to an even more childish pout. “And those balloons need to be blue, if you’re a majestic magical being you should know these things.”

“Hahaha, Babby’s right!” Angus laughed, earning a grin from Awstin and a small glance of worry from Aisling. “Well, funeral’s over, we better get cracking!” Angus went up to Peter to discuss details with an unusual bounce in his step, with Yao talking to Arthur, who seemed to be used to this whole thing.

“Why’s he so excited?” Aisling asked, thick brows slightly furrowed in confusion.

“Booze?” was all Awstin guessed with a small shrug before following his older brother so that he wasn’t missing anything. Aisling sighed and tied up her flowing rust-coloured hair before walking up to the small conversation happening between the thick-browed boys and vigorously injecting ideas after a few minutes of conversing.

“ _ Aiyah!  _ Why’s he so excited?” Yao questioned Arthur after quickly wiping his mouth again with a blue silken sleeve.

“Peter’s the type to insist on throwing a ball with all the kingdoms invited because a beggar won a coin toss for the exact same coin being flipped. Most likely he’s just doing this to take our minds off from her death,” Arthur conceded. “But he’s also a selfish brat, so I think he just wants to look important.”

“Hmm. He’s not lying though, most, if not all of the city will most likely come,” Yao opined. “But do you think we’ll get it all ready in time?”

“If Angus knows there’s going to be drinks he’s going to make us all work hard so that he can go for the barrel as soon as we’re all done and dusted,” Arthur chuckled.

“Reminds me of a cousin of mine, if we successfully created something as a group he would have claimed it was his idea all along,” Yao reminisced with a smile. “Everybody! Let’s divide roles so we can get this done as fast as we can!” Turning the remaining heads, Peter smiled and flew over. “I can arrange decorations!”

“My husband’s a baker, he can supply cakes and such!” a friend of Elizabeth’s called out happily.

“I’m sure a couple of stallholders can be convinced to give up their tables and cookware! Hell, they may even cook!” a second piped up with equal zeal.

“A friend of mine could arrange the lighting! She owns the candle shop down the main street!”

“I’m a florist, I can bring along some flowers!”

Pretty much all of Elizabeth’s friends were eager to help and more were inputting more ideas-

“I know someone who could produce some fireworks just for us!”

“My sister runs a dance troupe who wants their first show to be big!”

The siblings weren’t any different either.

“I can play my fiddle for some dances and requests!” Awstin volunteered.

“Leave the drinks to me!” Angus roared.

“I’ll help with your decorations Peter,” Aisling smiled.

“I  _ guess  _ It wouldn’t hurt to hold another magic display…” Arthur suggested sheepishly.

“The palace can provide some food, entertainment and security. Everybody, do your thing! And encourage others to help too! We’re setting up in the town square, be ready by dusk!” Yao cheered, and everyone went their separate ways.

Arthur however, lingered behind. “Do you want me to go with you tonight?”

“It would be best, but… You’re the Queen. We can force you to come tonight and you can run away, but you have a duty to fulfil to the people of Spades. And you may have had a rough past with him, but this may be the best chance to get each other’s side of the story, and to achieve reconciliation,” Yao responded quietly. “But… It’s my moral obligation to let you mourn your mother. So, you do just that, and leave people’s hearts with a lasting impression, alright? She deserves that much.”

Touched by Yao’s words, Arthur gave a smile and started towards the library to look for more aesthetically pleasing spells to take people’s minds off such a tragic death.

After some time (maybe half an hour or so), the entire population of the capital seemed to be assisting in the funerary preparation, with children running around with arms full of cloth, satchels and wooden instruments ready to assist their parents, who had the air of children themselves, and there were enough smiles around the place to lighten up a jailhouse. The whole town seemed to have an infectious jaunty air around it.

“Oi! Watch where you’re going you idiot!” Angus yelled towards Awstin, who was wielding 2 small crates full of glasses and goblets, the boxes teetering slightly. “Well it’s a little harder to focus on what I’m doing when you’re  _ screaming  _ down my throat like a banshee!” Awstin fought back, glaring at his older brother. “Whatever the case, we have plenty more!”

“We’re paying for the damage y’know,” Angus reminded his little sibling.

“Ah, right,” Awstin then set to walk more carefully. After walking to the town square and slowly setting the box beside a lamppost, Awstin turned around and out of the corner of his eye he thought he saw something blurry and blue rush past.

_ Must be the lack of sleep still lagging on,  _ Awstin thought, before travelling back to his awaiting commander to see if there were any more jobs that needed doing.

However, it wasn’t lack of sleep. Alfred and Matthew had finally made it into the capital, finally within the ranges of the castle.

“ _ Huff,  _ Mattie, we did it! We might not be  _ huff,  _ late!” Alfred cheered in between huffs.

“Don’t speak too soon bro, just in case you jinx us,” Matthew panted back. “My mouth tastes metallic, how long have we been running?”

“I dunno bro,” Alfred quipped before returning his attention back to the path, which was surprisingly busy, with merchants, wives, single people and even he elderly helping each other do… something? Even though everybody was jostling around, Alfred had mastered the art of weaving around people, so he prepared to use some light feet to manoeuvre around the bustling mass of townspeople. “But try to follow my lead so we don’t interrupt these dudes, they look busy!”

“Something big is probably going on, but even during festivals I’ve never seen the whole town so involved. There’s an air of excitement or something like that, you can feel it,” Matthew guessed, basing his answer from what he could briefly observe.

“Whatever the case, we’ll help later! Just gotta get to the palace before Yao gives us both another super boring lecture!” Alfred chirped, before taking a sharp turn right to a sort of alleyway. “Yo Mattie, I just totally found a shortcut!”

“Wait up!” Matthew huffed, slowing down some (Alfred had too), and just when they had gone a few feet within the alley Alfred suddenly stopped. “Stitch! Owww…” Alfred complained, rubbing his side.

“How did it take  _ that  _ long to gain a stitch?” Matthew groaned. “Can you at least walk?”

“I guess so, but it’s gonna hurt a lil’ Mattie, but it comes with the stitch, I guess. And this king will not give in to a simple stitch!” Alfred proclaimed, wincing slightly.

“Sure bro. Come on Al, don’t want that lecture, do we?” Matthew smiled, letting his brother walk beside him.

After some more walking, the two young royals arrived at the palace, with a familiar body standing by a marble pillar. “Damn, Yao’s there,” Alfred grumbled.

“I guess we’re getting the spiel,” Matthew sighed. The two came closer, but what they heard instead of a sharp snappy voice was instead one of shock “What are you two doing here?!” Yao cried out.

“The Meeting’s tonight Yao!” Alfred burst out. “We can’t just miss it!”

“Ah, right. Wait,  I can’t be in two places at once! I have business tonight, this is  _ not good _ !” Yao fretted, shaking his head. “Whatever the case, you two should make sure that the other royals get here safely. And try to stay out of my way until the meeting, I have things I need to do.”

“Sure, Yao. Are you sure about us planning it though?” Matthew queried.

“You two should know how these meetings run! And Matthew, make sure Alfred doesn’t go crazy,” Yao instructed the Ace, with Alfred pouting and making a comment about how he wasn’t a child. “But I will be at the meeting tonight, I promise you. Now, go! I’m getting distracted!” With shooing motions guiding the two, the King and Ace set to prepare one of the most important rooms in the palace: the meeting room.

“What was he so worried about?” Alfred asked Matthew.

“I know as much as you do Al,” Matthew answered. “Virtually nothing gets him this worried though. Did he say anything yesterday?”

“II remember him talking about having to attend some lady’s funeral or something… Maybe that’s it? It was some woman named Elizabeth,” Alfred recounted.

“Elizabeth? Who’s that?” Matthew questioned.

“Beats me,” Alfred shrugged his shoulders while replying, laying out a tablecloth.

“Alfred, can you pay attention to the tablecloth? If that gets ripped, we’re both dead meat,” Matthew diverted the subject as soon as he could tell it was over, making Alfred grumble. Could Matthew  _ let loose  _ once in a while?

Time passed quickly when you had a deadline, it seemed, as the sun had begun to set, slight tones of yellow seeping into blue as the townsfolk started to set up the funeral celebration. At that moment, Arthur had returned from the library, deciding to do a new type of magic show; one that utilised water to make little creatures that ran around the audience. He had pored over the pages containing instructions on how to summon them. Arthur was also going to pull out some classics too, like making little chunks of ice burst into tiny fractals like frozen fireworks.

Awstin had also found his old fiddle, and was testing the strings to see if they were still strong and not ready to break like somewhat more flexible twigs. Thankfully, they were still tight, which meant that they could at least manage the traditional funeral dance. The dance, which was a lot of fun, was played to a light, jumpy tune and had everyone in different circles, all in to attempt to rid the dancer’s sorrow about the departed, and since everyone in town knew it (even if they hadn’t attended a funeral), it would be a big disappointment if it didn’t get played. Maybe the royals had some professional musician, it didn’t feel right if someone who was close to the deceased did not play it.

Not that the siblings knew what it sounded like if somebody else played it.

Some tables laden with flowers had been set up at the edges of the town square, leaving plenty of room for the town to mingle around the center of the square and do whatever they please. Some stalls and more tables closer to the center held glasses and goblets of drinks, varying from fruit punch to beer (appropriately sectioned off, of course), and tables adorned with many culinary delights. There were plenty of candles in lanterns around the whole setup, to light the party into the night, and there were hay bales close to any form of table for sitting on.

It looked homely and sweet, and Elizabeth would have wanted something just like it; ready to appeal to children and adults alike.

“How’s this?” Aisling called to Arthur, noticing the younger brother’s return.

“Looks amazing! Anything missing?” Arthur was impressed, but something did feel off.

“The Yao man’s not here!” Angus pointed out, moving towards his sibling in long strides. “He came back while you were gone though. He said he’d be a little late!”

“Why?” Arthur pondered, but behind him the distinct rattling of a carriage told him it was something important.

“Mama! Look at the carriages! One’s all red, and the other one’s yellow! Even a green one!” A child squealed, causing the townsfolk to murmur to one another with worried expressions.

“That’s a  _ royal  _ carriage!” Aisling gasped.

“The other kingdoms?! What are they doing?!” Awstin prodded.

“Yao said something about how there was a meeting tonight,” Angus recalled. “Something about a Deck?”

“He’s referring to the Meeting of the Deck,” Arthur breathed. “It must be tonight…”

“That’s the big meeting between all the kingdoms, right?” Awstin piped in.

“Yes. It happens every four years, and it’s Spades’ turn to host it this time,” Arthur confirmed. “Depending on time, Yao may make it on time or not come at all.”

“Hey, if Yao can come, why not invite the other royals too?” Aisling suggested. “It does seem rather radical, but it would make the night livelier, right?” She looked around to see a mixture of disapproving faces, worried looks and approving grins.

“That could be arranged, Ms Kirkland!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yooooooooo it is i, the not dead but slow as fuck person.  
> This got an update tm (fINALLY I'M SO SORRY!)  
> This is more a filler chapter, but I'm going to just focus on this one. for now, until I finish this, all other fics wont get updates, because i want this done! So, thanks for sticking around!


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